


The Detrimental Effect of School Mashed Potatoes

by deepestfathoms



Category: The Prom (2020), The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:53:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29700828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepestfathoms/pseuds/deepestfathoms
Summary: Alyssa was the best pillow.
Relationships: Alyssa Greene/Emma Nolan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	The Detrimental Effect of School Mashed Potatoes

School mashed potatoes were one of the best things the cafeteria sold. They were like smashed, starchy crack cocaine. Alyssa would easily fistfight someone if they tried to steal the last scoop in the tray. They were just _good_ , okay! 

So when something bumped against Alyssa’s side and nearly made her drop a perfectly good spoonful of mashed gold, she was _this close_ to exacting her one and half years of karate on the offender.

And then she realized the almost-potato murderer was the fifteen-year-old she and her friends kept around out of pity and had to put away her yellow belt. Plus, this was the only redhead in the entire town. It would be like pummeling a minority. 

Now that she thought about it-- would beating up a ginger be considered a hate crime? They were, technically speaking, minorities in terms of percentages. Weren’t only, like, one to two percent of people in the world redheads? They also kinda get unwanted attention because of the way they were born. Alyssa had definitely been an eyewitness to harassment because the fifteen-year-old had red hair, but usually that was all in good fun!

Well, except the time Nick asked her if the curtains match the carpet…

And the time Nick called her “Fire Crotch”…

And the time Nick called her “Tampon Top”… 

And the time she got called a demon… 

Oh, also, _why_ was there a redhead lounging on her like she was a goddamn recliner in the first place?

Alyssa blinked down at Winnie. Winnie’s head was resting against the edge of her shoulder, and if it was uncomfortable, Winnie didn’t show it or move. Her hair was up in pigtail braids, as they usually were, and one of them was pressing against Alyssa’s forearm, making her skin prickle. Alyssa had to dip her head to simply see Winnie’s expression, and she saw that her eyes were closed.

Was she…?

“The lobster fell asleep on you,” Kaylee said from across the lunch table, a plastic spoon sticking out of her mouth like a stiff, white tongue. “I bet you’re honored! Oh to be touched by such a crustacean.”

Alyssa rolled her eyes in a good-natured way, then nudged Winnie. “Hey, hun. Time to get up.”

But Winnie didn’t move. Her nose may have twitched a little, but she didn’t open her eyes at all.

“Is she dead?” Kaylee asked after pulling the spoon out of her mouth. She gasped. “Have we finally been spared?”

“Don’t be rude,” Alyssa said. “And she’s not dead. I saw her nose move.”

“I don’t know…” Kaylee peered closely at Winnie. “Maybe it’s one of those postpartum spasms she sometimes talks about when going on her many rants. You know, when a corpse will just, like, move. Oh, hey! I do pay attention! I’m so smart.”

“Isn’t it postmortem?” Alyssa looked at her.

Kaylee blinked, scratching her head. “I overestimated how much I listen to her.”

Alyssa laughed. At the same moment, Shelby and Emma came walking over, trays of food in hand.

“Hey, gang!” Emma said jovially. She then noticed the scene at the table and narrowed her eyes. “Alyssa, are you cheating on me?”

“Alyssa is a harlot!” Kaylee chortled.

Alyssa snorted. “Absolutely not.”

“Is Winnie dead?” Shelby asked.

“That’s what I said!” Kaylee said.

“No, she’s not dead!” Alyssa shook her head as Emma sat down on the other side of her. Shelby sat down beside Kaylee. “She’s just sleeping.”

“On you?” Shelby furrowed her eyebrows.

Alyssa shrugged, and the movement jostled Winnie’s head slightly. “I don’t get it, either.”

“I think the red hair finally got to her little lobster brain.”

“It isn’t hair dye, Kaylee,” Alyssa said.

“Oh, I know,” Kaylee said, grinning like an imp.

“What’s up, fuckers?” Nick shouted, thumping down next to Kaylee. Greg and Kevin were with him, and they sat on Alyssa’s side of the table. “Oh. Ew. Day 123 of the ginger still being here.” He squinted at Winnie. “Why is she dead?”

“She’s not dead!” Alyssa exclaimed, exasperated.

“I think she’s sleeping,” Kevin observed, leaning forward so he could see Winnie’s face from where he was seated next to her. “Yeah, she’s definitely breathing.”

“Damn,” Nick snapped his fingers.

“Also if she were dead, don’t you think an ambulance would have been called by now?” Kevin went on, furrowing his eyebrows.

Nick raised his own eyebrows at him. “You think we like her that much?”

“Don’t be mean,” Alyssa said.

“Oh no, Mom is going to ground me!” Nick snickered. “I’m not being mean, Alyssa, I’m speaking the truth. That’s one of the great things about me! I don’t sugarcoat things.”

“We don’t need to hear them right now,” Alyssa said, keeping her voice calm even though Nick had a tendency to make her blood boil. “Eat your lunch.”

“Okay, _Mom_ ,” Nick tittered again as he took a bite out of his hamburger.

“Why _is_ she sleeping on you anyway?” Greg asked, peeking out from where he was sitting beside Emma. 

“Oh, I don’t know,” Alyssa said. “She just. Did.”

“And she’s too nice to wake her up,” Emma said for her.

“I’LL DO IT!” Kaylee and Nick shouted in sync. They whipped their heads around to each other.

“Hey, I said it first!” Nick barked.

“No, I did!” Kaylee argued.

“Nobody is going to wake her up!” Alyssa said, raising her voice over her bickering. Wow. She really did feel like a mother. Dealing with her friends was like trying to herd toddlers. 

“Damn,” Nick said disappointedly.

“Aww,” Kaylee’s shoulders slumped. “Well, the offer is still on the table if you ever need it!”

“Eat.” Alyssa ordered firmly, and Kaylee saluted, shoveling some sliced peaches into her mouth.

“I just realized we can finally talk about whatever we want,” Shelby said.

“Oh, you’re right!” Emma perked up excitedly. “No more having to listen to stuff about serial killers and death while we’re trying to eat!”

“Or horror movies!” Shelby added.

“Enjoy it while it lasts, then,” Greg laughed slightly.

So, they began talking, and Alyssa was surprised at how many topics they managed to get through in thirty minutes when Winnie wasn’t ranting the entire time. Even she had to admit that it was peaceful and much more fun for all of them.

“Well, that was fun,” Emma said as everyone all around the cafeteria began to get up to go to their next classes. 

“It’ll probably never happen again,” Kaylee said.

“What are you going to do about her?” Kevin asked, nodding his head at Winnie.

“I got her!!” 

Nick jumped up before Alyssa could even answer or tell him no and ran around the table. He thrusted his phone out and played a siren sound effect at full volume directly into one of Winnie’s ears. 

The reaction to this was instantaneous.

Winnie screamed and flinched back so hard she slammed her knees against the bottom of the table and bumped into Kevin. Her pigtails flew around like whips, clipping Alyssa in the face as she yanked her head around to look at Nick with wide eyes, a hand now clapped to her ear. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out as Nick and the others laughed.

“That’s payback for making us sit through all your boring ass rants!” Nick declared in her face, making her flinch again, this time into Alyssa. “God, I’m good. Okay, let’s get to class!”

One-by-one, they all began getting up and leaving the cafeteria, saying their goodbyes as they went, but Winnie stayed behind, hunched over the table and rubbing her ear. Alyssa lingered with her for a moment.

“Are you alright?” Alyssa asked.

Winnie nodded, not looking at her. “Sorry. About, umm, sleeping on you. I haven’t been getting a lot of rest lately.”

“How come?” Alyssa pressed, now curious.

“A lot of things,” Winnie answered her. “I just got stuff on my mind.” She paused for a moment, then, without meeting Alyssa’s eyes, said, “I’ll try to be more likable so I’ll be worthy of an ambulance ride.”

And then she got up, threw away her barely-eaten lunch, and walked out.

Alyssa watched her go, grimacing. Her tray crinkled beneath her grip.

Damn. She didn’t even finish her mashed potatoes.

**Author's Note:**

> i am once again saying that im not trying to antagonize any of the kids (okay, well. maybe i am with Nick because he just Radiates douchebag vibes). it's just that in the way i characterize their friendship with Winnie, it's very complicated. they don't hate her, but they don't love her, either. she's just kinda there. and sometimes she can be a little irritating because she talks a lot and is overly anxious, so it leads to Things being Said. 
> 
> they're, like, unintentionally mean, if that makes sense. for the most part, they aren't trying to hurt her feelings (unless it's Nick), it just Happens. because that relationship is much more interesting and deep than them all being buddy-buddy. also there's more Angst.


End file.
